Editing Portage Lake, Maine

{{Short description| Town in the state of Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Portage Lake, Maine
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map        = 
| pushpin_label      = Portage Lake
| pushpin_label_position = left <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Maine
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = Aroostook County Maine incorporated and unincorporated areas Portage Lake highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Portage Lake, Maine
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Maine]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Maine|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Aroostook County, Maine|Aroostook]]
| parts_type         = Villages
| parts              = [[Portage, Maine|Portage]]<br>Buffalo
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name ="Gazetteer files"/>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 89.51
| area_land_km2      = 79.72
| area_water_km2     = 9.79
| area_total_sq_mi   = 34.56
| area_land_sq_mi    = 30.78
| area_water_sq_mi   = 3.78

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 359
| population_density_km2 = 4.5
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 221
| elevation_ft       = 725
| coordinates        = {{coord|46|46|41|N|68|29|57|W|region:US-ME|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 04768
| area_code          = [[Area code 207|207]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 23-60300
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0582681
| website            = {{URL|https://www.townofportage.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Portage Lake''' is a town in [[Aroostook County, Maine|Aroostook County]], [[Maine]], United States. The population was 359 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2300360300|title=Census - Geography Profile: Portage Lake town, Aroostook County, Maine|access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|34.56|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|30.78|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|3.78|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2010.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 16, 2012}}</ref>

Portage Lake is located along [[Maine State Route 11]], which runs north–south and is the only state road in town. The town is located south of [[Fort Kent, Maine|Fort Kent]] and west of both [[Caribou, Maine|Caribou]] and [[Presque Isle, Maine|Presque Isle]], which are the closest commercial centers.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 124
|1880= 132
|1890= 140
|1900= 241
|1910= 500
|1920= 721
|1930= 886
|1940= 773
|1950= 542
|1960= 458
|1970= 477
|1980= 562
|1990= 445
|2000= 390
|2010= 391
|2020= 359
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=December 16, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 391 people, 188 households, and 123 families living in the town. The [[population density]] was {{convert|12.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 511 housing units at an average density of {{convert|16.6|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the town was 95.9% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.0% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 2.8% from two or more races.

There were 188 households, of which 17.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.45.

The median age in the town was 56.2 years. 12% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.8% were from 25 to 44; 41.2% were from 45 to 64; and 27.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 390 people, 183 households, and 116 families living in the town.  The [[population density]] was 12.7 people per square mile (4.9/km{{sup|2}}).  There were 485 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km{{sup|2}}).  The racial makeup of the town was 99.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.26% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.26% of the population.

There were 183 households, out of which 17.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 3.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.53.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.4% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 38.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,232, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $35,104 versus $18,542 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $17,983.  About 8.2% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including none of those under age 18 and 22.4% of those age 65 or over.

==History==
The name of the city was borrowed from the name of the lake that occupies much of the center of town. The word ''portage'' comes from [[French language|French]] and means "to carry". The town was first settled in 1844 by lumbermen from [[Canada]]. In 1872, the settlement was organized as a [[plantation]] and in 1909 it was incorporated as a town.
The Stevens were the founders of Portage.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

==Notable person==
*[[Lucy Hayward Barker]], painter, born in Portage Lake<ref name="HellerHeller2013">{{cite book|author1=Jules Heller|author2=Nancy G. Heller|title=North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AYxmAgAAQBAJ&pg=PR11|date=December 19, 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-63882-5}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040815130501/http://www.aroostook.com/portage/ www.aroostook.com/portage]
*[https://www.townofportage.org/ Town of Portage Lake]

{{Aroostook County, Maine}}
{{Saint John River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Aroostook County, Maine]]
[[Category:Portages in the United States]]
[[Category:Towns in Maine]]